


Surprise

by Squarepeg72



Series: Photographs & Memories [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Party, F/M, Food Fight, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 01:39:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12877455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squarepeg72/pseuds/Squarepeg72
Summary: Rose and Hugo have been brought to laughter and tears by their parents’ letters to friends, family, and each other. What surprises will the next packet of letters hold?





	Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/148170750@N07/37704797215/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 

_**Papers collect around her chair** _   
_**Plans made and tasks completed** _   
_**Holidays her greatest adventure** _   
_**Celebrating hope with him** _

Rose looked around the sitting room of her parents’ house. She now understood why they never thought about living anywhere else and why their Floo connected to so many places. Going through the letters and pictures they had found in the trunks had given her an idea. But she need to talk to Hugo about it when he got to the house later in the morning.

Hugo arrived at his parents’ house to find his sister sitting on the couch in the sitting room. “Deep in thought this early on Saturday morning Rosie?” Hugo asked as he plopped on the couch beside her.

“I was thinking about the last Christmas with Mum and Dad and how alive this house felt,” Rose looked over at Hugo. “I think we need to do it again. Have everyone here for Christmas.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Hugo hugged his sister. “I think we need to invite the extended family. Not just the direct cousins but the Flintwoods and the Zabani-Notts.”

“Mum always said Christmas was her favorite holiday,” Rose looked over at the trunks. “We have time to plan. Right now, we have another packet to look at.”

“I am just hoping for fewer surprises with this one,” Hugo reached into Ron’s trunk and pulled out the next packet. “Lucky number seven, tied with a yellow and blue ribbon. Please, please please, no BIG surprises.”

“Relax, Huggie,” Rose laughed as she reached into Hermione’s trunk to grab the matching packet. “What more could go wrong. If they take much longer to get married, our birth dates will change.”

“Not nice, Rosie,” Hugo pulled the first letter from his packet. _“Harry, HELP! I don't know that I can do this …”_

_Ron stared down at the ring in his hands. He had picked it up from The Dragon’s Hoard today on his way home from work. Now to keep it tucked away until he could work up the courage to ask her. He was a War Hero. He had faced the Dark Lord before he was old enough to vote. He was petrified of a girl. What was wrong with him? He loved her and wanted to spend forever with her. Her answer to a simple question had the power to wreck him._

_“Ron, I’m home,” Hermione announced as she hung her coat by the Floo. “Where are you hiding? We have a Christmas party to plan.”_

_“In the bedroom,” Ron hollered as he shoved the box with the ring back into the top drawer of his bedside table. “Do we really have to do this? We are already going to the Burrow Christmas Eve. Why do we need to have everyone here?”_

_“Don’t be silly, Ronald,” Hermione said as she walked into their bedroom. “This is a party for our friends and siblings. It is our first Christmas in our house and I thought it would be nice to show off the cottage and spend time with our friends. Besides, we have friends and family that need a chance to get to know each away from the prying eye and poison pen of a particular reporter.”_

_“So, you are saying we need to have a Christmas party at our cottage so you can play matchmaker. Who are we inviting then?” Ron asked as he watched Hermione change out of her work robes. “I know Harry and Ginny, but who else? This house is not like the Burrow. We do have limited space right now.”_

_“Just close friends and family,” Hermione answered as she held up her hand to count off the guests. “I was thinking definitely Harry and Ginny, let’s see - Luna, Neville, Pansy, Theo, George, Oliver, Marcus, and Draco. Can you think of anyone else?”_

_“Well, Charlie is going to be in town,” Ron added. “I think we should invite him and Blaise, as well. Blaise’s law firm has been doing so work for the shop and he seems to need some friends.”_

_“That sounds like a good list for our first party at this house,” Hermione kissed Ron’s cheek as she headed out of the bedroom. “What do you want for dinner? I was thinking spaghetti, salad and garlic bread tonight. I promise to brush my teeth before bed.”_

_“Sounds good, love,” Ron looked back at the drawer before he left the bedroom. He had an idea about how to ask her. Now all he had to do was keep his nerve._

Hugo put down the letter he had been reading and looked over at his sister. “For a salesman, Dad sure had trouble getting his words right around Mum. It sounds like he is getting ready to propose but he can’t find the words.”

“And Dad was never at a loss for words,” Rose agreed with Hugo as she looked over the picture at the top of her packet. “Look, it is a picture of everyone in this room. I really don’t want to know how they got that tree in this room and the people, too.”

“Our first Christmas disaster,” Hugo read the back of the picture his sister was holding. “How are they all laughing and still call it a disaster? It looks like they had a great time.”

“Is that cake in Mum’s hair?” Rose asked as she looked at the picture closer. “They look like victims of a sweet shop explosion. Is that Uncle Charlie kissing Aunt Pansy? And Mr. Nott kissing Mr. Zabani? And Mr. Malfoy is actually smiling. Who are these people and what have they done with the people we grew up with?”

“I think that is cake in everyone’s hair,” Hugo was laughing so hard he could not sit up straight. “I guess this party started a lot of things. I could never bring myself to call them Blaise and Theo like they wanted. Mr. Nott and Mr. Zabini always felt right. Mum asked me one time why I called them and the Malfoy’s by their last names instead of their given names. I don’t think I ever told her exactly why.”

“I know,” Rose wiped tears from her eyes. “They were honorary aunts and uncles like Oliver and Marcus, but they were always so proper. I never could call them by their first names.”

“I wonder what really happened at that party.” Hugo watched the familiar faces of their parents and their friends laugh in the picture his sister was holding. “To bad we never made an extendable ear that could let you listen to what was happening in a picture. This picture would sound amazing.”

“Let’s see what Mum has to say about all of this,” Rose picked up the first letter in her packet. _“Ginny, I need your help to get this party going …”_

_Hermione looked around the sitting room. Piles of parchment were scattered over every surface and she still had no clue what she was doing. Planning a Christmas party should not be that difficult. But, then again, she had never tried to plan a party with Ron Weasley._

_“What am I doing here?” she mumbled to herself as she picked up the menu she was trying to plan. “I know the food we want to have but there is no way I am going to get all of this cooked in time I need to get people to bring food so I don’t have to cook it all.”_

_“Hello, anybody home,” Ron called as he stepped out of the Floo and into the kitchen. “I brought a Buddhist pizza from Flying Pies for dinner. Anybody want to share with me?”_

_“In the sitting room,” Hermione called from her perch among the parchment. “I’m in the sitting room. Grab some plates and bring the pizza in here.”_

_“Mione, love, what has happened to the sitting room?” Ron asked as he tried to find a place to set down what he was carrying. “We are planning a small party with friends, not the next wizard invasion of the Muggle world. What is all of this?”_

_“Just a few lists to help keep things straight,” Hermione started to shuffle papers so Ron and the pizza had places to sit. “A list for guests and RSVPs, a list of food, a list of supplies, a list of …”_

_Ron stopped Hermione’s list of lists by kissing her. “Stop worrying and kiss me,’ he whispered against her lips. “Everything is going to work out fine. Just breathe, love, just breathe.”_

_“But I need to get this done,” Hermione tried to argue as Ron tucked her head under his chin. “This is our first big event with our friends here. Everything needs to go just right.”_

_“It will all be fine, Mione,” Ron kissed her forehead and rubbed her shoulder. “Ginny said she and Harry would coordinate the food other than the turkey and Christmas pudding. I got Mum’s recipes for both of those things from Ginny and I can cook without blowing up the kitchen.”_

_“I know you can, Ronald,” Hermione sighed as she relaxed into his embrace. “I just want everything to be perfect. I want our first Christmas in this house to be perfect.”_

_“It will be love,” Ron nuzzled Hermione’s cheek. “Whatever happens, it will be perfect because we are together with our friends. Nothing else matters.”_

_Ron and Hermione sat in the clutter of her planning and ate the pizza Ron had brought home. By the time they had finished dinner, Ron had his marching orders for delivering invitations and a list of foods for Ginny and Hermione was almost relaxed about the whole thing. Maybe she could survive this party after all._

“Mum was a planner,” Rose picked up a wrinkled piece of parchment that had fallen out of the letter she was reading. “I know where the cake came from. Pansy is on the list for bringing dessert that is not Christmas pudding.”

“I still wish we could have been at that party,” Hugo said wistfully. “It looks like they had a grand time. Mum never let us play with dessert like that.”

“Grand time or not, I need food,” Rose said as she stood up from the couch. “Want to help me fix lunch?”

“Lunch sounds great,” Hugo stood up to join his sister in the kitchen. “Anna sent sandwiches and lemonade. All we have to do is unpack the basket.”

_**Scars forgotten in the light** _   
_**Plans made and tasks completed** _   
_**Holidays his greatest adventure** _   
_**Celebrating hope with her** _

Rose and Hugo gather the remains of their lunch and repacked the picnic basket. “I feel a little more fortified now,” Rose looked over at Hugo and patted his stomach.

“Anna has always packed a mean picnic,” Hugo answered his sister, “Rosie, are you putting off reading more letters? You know we can’t start planning our next move until we finish this set.”

“I know,” Rose started to walk back into the sitting room. “I think I am going to like the way this set ends, but there is always a twist. I am beginning to think they did it on purpose.”

“Did what?” Hugo asked as he settled into the floor in front of Ron’s trunk. “Tried to give us a heart attack and question our existence with every packet of letters. Mum had a mean streak and Dad was mischievous but I don’t think it was intentional.

“It is just a picture of a relationship,” Rose sighed. “I know Marcus and I have had ups and downs and I watched the ups and downs with you and Anna. I just never thought about our parents being so … human”

“But pictures like this tell the story,” Hugo picked up a picture from his stack of letters. “I think Dad may have had the best surprise ever for Mum at this party.”

“Let me see it, Huggie,” Rose tried to snatch the picture from Hugo’s hand. “I need to know more than ‘I can’t believe he actually did it.’ What did who do?”

“You can see it after this letter,” Hugo tucked the picture under the letter in his hand and began to read. _“Dad, How did you hand over your heart to Mum …”_

_Ron stood at the kitchen door watching his friends and family gather around the tree in their sitting room. Hermione was busy waving her wand around the room, cleaning cake, cookies and pudding from everything, people, furniture, walls and floors. The Great Dessert Fight had started when Pansy overheard Charlie comment on her jumper. “The invitation said Ugliest Christmas jumper wins a prize, Weasley. So I wore a fashionably ugly jumper and won fair and square. Just because you didn't read the whole invitation, does not mean you can insult me or my victory.”_

_“My dear Ms. Parkinson,” Charlie had answered as he grabbed a hand full of cake from the tray beside him. “The only reason you won is because you bribed the judge with a gift certificate to your shop. If you truly want to have an Ugly Christmas jumper, I can help you out.”_

_Charlie pressed the cake into the center of Pansy’s jumper and began to laugh. “Now, you have the Ugliest Christmas jumper. And the tastiest one, too.”_

_“Charlie Weasley, I am going to kill you,” Pansy screeched as she reached for cookies from the plate in front of her. “I am never going to get his jumper clean. I. SHOULD. HEX. YOU. INTO. NEXT. YEAR.”_

_With each word she bit out, Pansy threw a cookie at Charlie. But, not every cookie hit Charlie. Ginny got into the fight when she was assaulted with a chocolate chip cookie and Harry laughed. “Potter,” Ginny menaced as she grabbed a handful of cake. “Just where do you think you are sleeping tonight? I think there is a couch calling your name.”_

_No one was left out of the battle that followed. Theo and Blaise were talking quietly on the couch when Charlie missed Pansy with a spoonful of Christmas pudding. Theo had trouble containing his laughter as pudding ran down Blaise’s forehead. But the laughter stopped when he felt punch pour over his head. Hermione had tried to hide behind the couch but was found by Ginny’s ‘Orange Balls of Doom’ and Ron’s jumper was covered in frosting care of his best mate. By the time they had run out of dessert to throw, everyone was laughing and covered in sugar. Pansy and Charlie were trying to wipe cake off each other’s jumpers and Theo and Blaise were kissing on one end of the couch while Oliver and Marcus were kissing on the other. Draco had brought Astoria and they were standing, cake crumbs in their hair, by the fireplace trying not to laugh at the chaos in front of them._

_“Now that everyone has enjoyed desert,” Ron called from the kitchen door. “I think we need a picture to remember the best Christmas party ever. Everyone grab your partner in crime and gather in front of the tree.”_

_“Ron. we are a mess,” Hermione protested. “Let us get cleaned up before the picture. It’s not like I am going to forget this disaster.”_

_“Relax, Mione,” Harry dragged her in front of the tree. “This party is perfect. The picture of the participants of the Great Dessert Battle is the cherry on the cake,”_

_Ron setup the camera and joined everyone in front of the tree. “Everybody in front of the tree … Host and hostess in the center ...Picture on three … One … Two … Three…”_

Oh my goodness,” Rose laughed as she looked at the picture that Hugo was holding. “I always wondered why the adults laughed as soon as the dessert came out at the Christmas party. I may never look at Christmas pudding the same again.”

“Me either,” Hugo smirked as he put the letter he had been reading on the stack of read letters. “But why does Dad look so nervous in this picture? His hand is in his pocket and he hated having his picture taken like that.”

“I have no idea,” Rose took a closer look at the picture. “It looks like he is trying to pull something out of his pocket. You don’t think this is when he proposed, do you?”

“Surely not,” Hugo shook his head. “Mum would have killed him for doing that while she was covered in dessert. Surely, he had more sense than that.”

“We are talking about Dad, when it came to Mum, he didn’t always make sense,” Rose sighed as she picked up the next letter from her packet. _“Mummie, You are never going to believe what that loveable fool did …”_

_Hermione was turned to look at the camera as it flashed and captured the aftermath of the Great Dessert Battle. The laughter in the room filled her heart with joy and the mess could be cleaned up easily. She had not had this much fun in a long time. She didn’t know what it was, but the Christmas season always seemed to have a special sense of magic about it._   
_Movement to her left caught her eye. As she turned to see what was going on, Ginny gasped. “Ronald Weasley, what are you doing?”_

_Hermione felt a tug on her left hand as she watched Ron pull a small box from his pocket and get down on one knee. “Hermione Jean Granger, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife. I have loved you for as long as I can remember and I want to love you for the rest of forever.”_

_Time stood still as he waited for her answer. Hermione had never looked more beautiful to him, complete with cake in her hair and tears in her eyes. The laughter stopped as their friends realized what was happening. Ron opened the box and pulled out the ring he had been hiding for a month. Placing it on her finger, Ron asked again, “Hermione, will you marry me?”_

_Hermione stared down at her hand like it was not her own. Ron had asked her to marry him and was sliding a beautiful ring on her finger. All she could do was stare at him and cry. For the first time in anyone’s memory, Hermione Jean Granger was speechless. She just nodded her head yes and let the tears roll down her cheeks._

_Ron stood and cupped her face in his hands. “I love you Mione,” Ron kissed her gently and pulled her into his chest. “Even if you are covered in cake and cookies.”_

_While Ron and Hermione hugged and kissed in front of the tree. Harry quietly took pictures and Ginny passed out cups of butter beer. “Raise a glass,” Charlie declared as he pulled Pansy in for a quick kiss. “To Hermione and Ron. May every Christmas be as blessed as this one… and thank you for a Christmas none of us will ever forget.”_

_Echoes of “To Ron and Hermione,” filled the room as friends and family celebrated Hermione’s answer to Ron’s Christmas question._

‘I always wondered how he proposed to Mum,” Rose set her letter down and picked up the picture that had been underneath it. “Dad’s timing was perfect. Just look at them.”

“They were still looking at each other like that at the end,” Hugo said as he looked at the picture of the newly engaged couple. “Dad never told me how he proposed. He just told me that it was the sweetest moment in their history.”

“Speaking of sweets, I could go for a snack,” Rose got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. “Ready for some Wonder Bars, little brother?”

I bet if we dusted her heart for fingerprints, we’d only find yours.  
\- Rudy Francisco


End file.
